Frontiers of research in NDE

Research is normally defined as original investigation undertaken in order to gain knowledge and understanding. Research can be work of direct relevance to the needs of the particular field, qualitative or can be based on fundamental analysis. Frontiers of Research refers to the invention and generation of ideas including design, where these can lead to new technologies or improved materials and processes or substantially improve insights of fundamental mechanisms

Scour around Cross-Threaded Piers in Regular Waves

This paper conducted the experiment on the formation scour around cross-threaded piers subjected to regular waves. The factor formations of scour had been identified by extensive research of previous paper that related to the project. From the gap of previous research, the project constructed physical model of the protected and unprotected pile. This study used cross-threaded pile as a flow-altering countermeasure mechanism to obtain results on average of scour reduction compared unprotected pier with variation of cable diameter and thread angle. The flow pattern around the pile was observed and the effect of wave period on the formation of scour was analysed. However, with the time constraint and the availability of the instrument, only a few test series and wave condition studied in this pape

Assessment of Defects and Microstructures for Evaluating Damage in Pressure Retaining Components

Reliable, safe and economical operation of pressure retaining components in various industrial plants depends on the importance given to quality assurance during fabrication and heat treatment of components and in-service performance assessment . Such an approach helps towards improved productivity, prevents unanticipated down time of plants, catastrophes etc. These objectives are satisfactorily met by adopting appropriate non-destructive testing and evaluation (NDT&E) procedures. We discuss in this paper our experience on development and application of a variety of NDT&E techniques for assessment of defects and microstructures in various pressure retaining components of industrial plants

A holistic approach to thermomechanical processing of alloys

New process design and control methods are needed for significantly improving productivity and reducing costs of thermomechanical processes such as hot metal forging. Current practices for accomplishing basic design tasks such as selecting the number of forming steps and specifying the processing conditions for each thermomechanical operation produce feasible solutions that are often far from optimal. Substantial improvements in effectiveness and efficiency can be realized through holistic approaches that optimize the whole system performance and not just individual subsystems such as workpiece material behavior, material flow in dies, and equipment responses. Recent progress in the application of dynamical modelling and process design techniques using ideal forming concepts and trajectory optimization are discussed. Monitoring methods for the on-line monitoring of the process and an intelligent forging system has been proposed

Study of engineering surfaces using laser-scattering techniques

Surface roughness parameters are described. Various surface characterization techniques are reviewed briefly. Interaction of light with the surface is discussed. Laser-scattering methods to characterise the surface are detailed. Practical cases, where laser-scattering methods have provided useful information about surface characteristics, are illustrated

Initiatives for Enhancing the Capability of NDE Engineers: An Indian Perspective

Education and training in Non-destructive Evaluation (NDE) domain is very important. The NDE engineer needs to continuously update knowledge and skill set and should be aware of the latest technologies available, with the concurrent advances in allied fields of sensors, electronics, computers, digital signal & image processing, numerical modeling etc. Towards this professional bodies and governmental organisations in India have taken several initiatives, starting from graduation through bridge courses, quiz, and training programs. These initiatives aim effective involvement of young engineers at various stages through their participation in team-building activities, workshops, taskforces, training & certification programs, train-thetrainer programs etc. This paper outlines these initiatives taken in India and elucidates how these initiatives are enhancing the skill set of the NDE engineers. The presentation also highlights how these initiatives are helping them to gain all necessary knowledge in the area of advanced NDE, to be able to take up any NDE assignment effectively, be it in research or industry or academics